You all remember how you got here. A letter from the Grand Lodge telling you that the Society was invited to participate in the Quest for the Everflame in the village of Kassen. You four were chosen as the representatives for the Pathfinder Society. It has been 4 years since the last one so this opportunity is extra special.
The bells atop the Temple of Erastil toll their midday song, echoing throughout the quiet town of Kassen. As the peals begin to fade, the first of the townsfolk make their way into the square, dressed in black, as if attending a funeral. They slowly fill the square, moving quietly across the cold, hard ground, their eyes downcast and mournful. After a few moments, a murmur passes through the crowd as it slowly parts to let Mayor Uptal through. He leads the way with a tarnished silver lantern. Behind him, an old pony drags a cart laden with backpacks and supplies. Once he reaches the center of the crowd, Mayor Uptal stops and calls out to the assembled townsfolk.
“Once again the winter winds blow through the Fangwood, marking the end of another harvest. There are wolves in the woods, howling at our walls, and serpents in our shadows, waiting to strike. Just as it was one hundred and seventy-four years ago, when Kassen himself left these walls to protect us, so it is today. Where are the heroes? Where are the brave folk that will venture out to Kassen’s tomb and retrieve the flame to keep this community safe for another winter?"
Wei Tchak almost squawks in excitement and hops forward, wings askew. "I'll do it! I mean, we'll do it! We're just the folks for the job! You can count on us!"
A tall Varisian male, with sky-blue eyes, a pronounced widow's peak, and slightly pointed ears, steps forward, issuing his response in a rich baritone:
"As a devotee of the Lady of Graves, I appreciate the ritualised remembrance of those that have gone before. I will venture out!"
Tall for a Tien-Sing, Bambang however has found that he is no more than of average height here in the lands of the west. Although he's been away from the scorching tropical sun for many years now in his travels, his skin has lost little of his tan. His head remains shaved, keeping to the customs of his village, showing distinctly the intriguing geometric tattoos across his scalp.
Unconsciously fingering a small figurine of fertility goddess whose name is long-lost to time, he comments, "Interesting rituals here in Avistan. So different from back in Tengah Pulu, but similar in many ways, too. I, too, appreciate such rituals. I assisted my mother the bomoh for many years in my youth in many for our village. I would be honored to similarly do the same again here."
A Sylvan looking female armed with a long slender sword stands up and states as a matter of fact "I too will go forth and seek this flame" in a sweet sounding voice and then quickly sits back down displaying an uneasiness in public speaking.
Mayor Uptal will give the lantern to the surprisingly respectful Bambang. "You will have the honor of carrying the lantern. Use it to bring the fire back to Kassen." He then hands each of you a backpack that contains 5 days’ worth of rations, a small tent, a winter blanket, a full waterskin, and a piece of the Trail Map that leads from Kassen to the Crypt of the Everflame. In addition, the following items are spread out among your backpacks, distributed as evenly as possible: 50 feet of hempen rope, a box containing tinder and three tindertwigs, a labeled potion of cure light wounds, three torches, a grappling hook, and a small bottle of local brandy. The mayor once again speaks to the townsfolk. "I present to you the brave heroes who will follow in Kassen's footsteps to retrieve the Everflame! Some of them may not return, but I say to you that their sacrifices shall not be forgotten. Go, brave heroes, and do not return until you have the eternal fire." With that the mayor points south, the direction of Kassen's tomb. The townsfolk begin waving goodbye with cold, solemn looks on most of their faces.
The narrow path winds through the raking claws of the trees, now bereft of their leaves, which crunch loudly underfoot. Up ahead, a fallen tree trunk blocks the path. Suddenly a trio of snarling humanoids leaps up from behind the log, all greenish skin and fearsome tusks, bellowing vulgar challenges.
Bambang looks nonplussed as he stares at the lantern thrusted into his hand. But I need my hands to wield my axe and shield. Attempting a whisper that unfortunately is clearly audible to the residents of Kassen, "Uh, would one of you like to hold this instead? I guess not?"
Gathering the provisions provided by the mayor, Bambang quite unceremoniously dumped the items into his own backpack. To the rest of the team, he says, "Take what you need and I can carry the rest. I can heal, so I don't need the potion. But oh, and uh, let me hold on to the brandy," with a wide grin on his face.
Carrying the lantern as he led the team through the woods, he was almost caught by surprise when the orcs burst into the clearing. Setting the lantern onto the ground, he then draws his battleaxe.
Would it be a move action to set things down? If so, he'll have to use his standard action to draw his weapon, ending his turn.
Bam readies his axe as everyone else rushes in. The angry Aasimar misses with her swing. Victor and Wei do not. In fact Wei's foe should be down but his orc heritage enables him to keep fighting.
Victor:
You realize that as you hit the orc, something isn't right. The lack of smell and the fact that your mace goes right through the orc means it isn't real! You're all fighting illusions! So feel free to ignore any damage that happens to come your way in this fight.
Also, I would appreciate if you picked a picture for your alias for when I do make a map.
With Victor's help, everyone is able to see through the illusions and you wake up Wei who finds that he is not injured at all! After dealing with the illusory orcs, the party is able to travel for most of the day in peace. After the party has followed the map for most of the day, the sunlight fades and a cold wind begins to rattle through the leafless forest. There is no sign of civilization in sight. As you are sitting around camp you all hear howling off in the distance. Over the next hour it seems to grow closer until it is eerily silent.
1d20 ⇒ 20
4d20 ⇒ (20, 2, 17, 15) = 54
Bambang/Victor:
You both spot a lone wolf sneaking up on the camp as if scouting. It seems very lean and almost starving.
"Watch it!" Bambang cries in alarm. "A wolf. Likely an advance scout for the rest." Bambang grabs a burning log from the campfire and tosses it in the direction of the wolf, hoping to scare it away and also to Mae it easier for his party mates to spot the creature. He then gets ready to arm and shield himself in case the wolf advances.
Just intending to throw it at its general direction so do I need a to-hit roll? Anyway, making a knowledge(nature) check to see what Bambang can tell about the creature or wolves in general.
knowledge(nature):1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26
Wolves in the wild usually only attack when looking for food, especially one as lean as this one is. They usually hunt in packs so this one may come back with its pack.
Bambang tosses a flaming log from the fire and the wolf runs away with a yip.
[b]"I fear that one is only the advance scout and might be bringing back the rest of the pack. Wolves usually only attack looking for food. I say if it brings back company, let's see if we can tempt them to leave us alone with some of our rations."
Wei draws his sword and takes a 5' step toward the closest wolf...
(hoping it's the one on Victor since a 24 might have tripped him and he might need help - without a bab, though, he can't do more in a surprise round).
Bambang, distracted momentarily, was caught by surprise when the wolves attacked, although he was able to fend them off with his shield. Before he knew it, two of his team mates were knocked down, and one of the wolf slain.
Getting his wits together, Bambang waved some trail rations in front of the remaining wolves to draw their attention, then tossed them into the distance to hopefully draw off the beasts. He hoped that the wolves are more concerned with food than attacking the party, especially with one of pack already taken down.
Victor repositions himself while Bam tries a gamble.
2d20 ⇒ (18, 5) = 23
One takes the bait and goes after it. Wei moves up and successfully hits the remaining wolf. Fyssaryx stands up and slashes at the last wolf as well.
1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21 1d10 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17
The angry Aasimar finishes off the last wolf. After the encounter with the wolves, the night passes uneventfully. Early in the day, your trail leads them to the shores of the Gray Lake, where you can refill your waterskins and stop for a quick rest. The trees begin to thin, revealing a short, green grass that leads to the shores of a wide, calm lake reflecting the overcast sky above. A dense fog hangs over the center of the lake, obscuring the far side. Near the shore of the lake, a dark form lies next to the water.
Bambang's got healing! If I didn't remember wrong, Victor and Fyssaryx are injured. This takes place the previous night.
Once the wolves are down, Bambang approaches Victor and Fyssaryx in turn. Grasping the pendant of a crudely carved fertility goddess in his hand, he focuses on the remnant spirits left on the artefact and calls forth healing onto his injured teammates.
Moving closer you notice that the form is actually the decayed body of a bandit. Judging by the huge chunk taken out of the corpse, you can surmise that it was some huge beast perhaps some huge serpent that may or may not live in the lake. Though much of this bandit's gear has rotted to worthlessness you do find a very well made masterwork short sword.
Leaving the Gray Lake behind, you travel for another three hours before you reach the valley that contains the Crypt of the Everflame. The trail leads ever deeper into the Fangwood. As it tops a small rise, a broad valley spreads out before it, the opposite side of which looks like a writhing serpent. Yet between the two lies a steep hill sloping down into the valley. A cold rain starts to fall making the ground slick and treacherous. I need 3 acrobatics checks from everyone as you navigate the slope. If you fail any of them then you need to make a Reflex save. If you get over a 20 on that save nothing happens and you can keep rolling checks. If not, terrible things happen.
Could Bambang take off his armor and shield first before attempting the slope? Hopefully, he doesn't get attacked along the way... Assuming he does. Also, could we tie ropes to facilitate the climb?
Following Victor's lead, Bambang removes his armor and shield, and takes time to secure the rope provided by the village to a tree, extending down the slope, to facilitate the group's descent.
PFS #: 215076-5
Dayjob if any: Craft(Calligraphy):1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19
ETC: Not that I can think of for now
In case you are wondering, "Bambang" is pronounced with a hard "a", i.e. "Bahm-bahng".
His implements are Conjuration and Transformation, so he can cast a couple of CLW a day. Can also activate a wand of CLW if anyone has one. He doesn't have one though, as a complete beginning character.
Oh ok. Well just put it as separate bonuses and also check how much money you've spent. 4 Mirror armor is pretty expensive. I think you might be over geared a little.
Ok will split it up. Thanks for pointing it out. Yup, Bambang has wiped out all his money. Armor is 125, shield is 7, battle-axe is 10, backpack is 2, artisan tools is 5 and the two darts finishes off the last gp. :)
I'd be willing, but I need to be free by Sept 1st, as I'm going to a con and would like to potentially play Wei Tchak there... any chance of being done with the game by then?
I'd be willing, but I need to be free by Sept 1st, as I'm going to a con and would like to potentially play Wei Tchak there... any chance of being done with the game by then?
Yea I can definitely do that. I just need to do some recruiting it seems though.
